Throughout his journey, thousands of people followed along on Instagram and tuned into his live Periscope broadcasts where people could ask questions, offer encouragement and give him tips to survive. We also released a daily recap video on YouTube every morning which were shot, edited and posted within 24 hours (predictably, they got better each day).

Results:

With absolutely no paid support, we gained +18 million impressions, saw a +50% increase in social media followers and a +750% increase in site traffic. The press was insane, in addition to AdAge, AdWeek and the usual suspects, it even garnered international recognition.

Most importantly, the self-promotional stunt also led to two immediate new biz RFPs.

The Story Behind The Work:

It was slow at work. Really slow. And I hate sitting around doing nothing, so I went to my Creative Director to ask if there was anything I could work on. His response, "I don't know. Why don't you think about something cool the agency could post on Instagram?"

A few days later, I came to him with this idea and soon, we were looking around the agency, trying to figure out who would A) do it B) didn't have a lot of outdoors experience C) would be funny on camera. Fellow copywriter, Lee Kimball was the perfect candidate and, his voice and on-screen antics meant everything to the success of the campaign.

Lee also stayed faithful to the concept and yes, everything was real. He slept on dirt. He ate grubs, bugs and weeds. He starved out there and only when he was facing extreme dehydration and heat stroke did he break the "rules" by having water and a banana that he didn't find, catch or trade for. His dedication made Living Off The Brands.